For two hours at least, Maidstone United topped the Vanarama National, albeit due to alphabetical order, following an opening day 1-1 draw with York City.

Bobby-Joe Taylor’s 22nd minute opener had given the Stones a half-time lead, which was cancelled out on 69 as Clovis Kamdjo took advantage of some poor marking to head home the equaliser.

Jay Saunders, Maidstone’s manager, said that he was disappointed with the outcome as he felt his side had the chances to take all three points.  He said “we’ll definitely take positive points out of this, but we had enough chances to kill the game off.  If you make mistakes like that against some of the teams in this League, you’re going to get punished.”

“I think we can play better than that, as the players can be far more comfortable on the ball.  Our downfall was probably that we didn’t keep the ball well enough at times.  I thought we did well for the first 10-15 minutes of each half, but there were signs that we tired at the end.  Even so, I thought we had a couple of really good chances that we didn’t take, and a 1-nil, you’re always worried that they are going to get one good chance.”

“We always felt that we could cause problems if we got the ball into their box and we recycled it well to score our goal.  It was sloppy on our part for the equaliser, as for long periods they haven’t really caused Lee (Worgan) any problems.  I can’t be too hard on the lads as they’ve given us everything today.  I still feel we can play better, but we’ll take a point and move on.”

As might be expected, the full-time ex-Football League side had the better of the opening exchanges, but only had a long-range shot from Clovis Kamdjo which barely threatened Lee Worgan’s goal to show for it.

Maidstone gradually grew into the game through a series of Alex Flisher long throws and corners being swung into the box from Ben Greenhalgh.  Flisher in particular started getting some success up against Jack Higgins, one of the three York central defenders.

In the 12th minute, applause rang out around the Gallagher Stadium in memory of 12-year old Charlie Girling, an Aylesford scout, who died last week in Norway.

Maidstone’s increasing confidence was clear on 20 as Bobby-Joe Taylor’s raking crossfield ball allowed Tom Murphy time to set up Callum Driver.  The fullback’s early swinging cross just evaded Greenhalgh’s run and Flisher, at full stretch and being challenged, could only steer the ball over.

But the breakthrough wasn’t long in coming, and it was Maidstone who took the lead on 22.  The latest Flisher long throw was punched to the edge of the box by Scott Flinders.  Taylor reacted quicker than Simon Helsop to the dropping ball and played a delicate one-two with Dan Sweeney on the left edge of the area, before driving a low shot past Flinders to find the bottom right corner.

Three minutes later it could have been two for the Stones as Flinders failed to clear Flisher’s long throw.  The ball bobbled round with Sweeney’s shot bouncing back of a crowd of legs, but Kevin Lokko couldn’t steer the rebound onto the target.

Taylor was having fun on the left, with York’s wingback leaving space in behind him, which also provided more room for Greenhalgh inside.  From a Lee Worgan goalkick, Flisher pressurised Higgins into misplacing his header, which allowed Greenhalgh to stride through to the edge of the box, but the Stones midfielder’s low shot was comfortably gathered by Flinders.

The last 10 minutes of the half saw York come back into the match.  Kamdjo was left worryingly unmarked from a Jan Klukowski corner, but the former Barnet midfielder couldn’t climb high enough to enjoy a free header.  Then moments before the interval, Rooney and Aiden Connolly combined allowing Connolly to twist past Tom Mills, but his low shot was scrambled clear by a combination of Lokko and Driver.

The Stones started the second half well with Tom Murphy forcing a save from Flinders after cutting in from the right.  Murphy also found space to deliver a couple of crosses as York struggled to cope with Taylor’s late runs in from the opposite wing.

Greenhalgh played a delightfully clipped throughball for Taylor, who pulled the ball back to Flisher, just as the referee Mr Rock moved across the line of the ball with Flisher shaping to shoot, causing the shot to go high over.  This chance was replicated moments later, but with Flisher screaming for a ball pulled back towards the edge of the box, Taylor tried to flash a cross through the 6-yard box, and the chance was gone.

Greenhalgh then picked up a Flinders punch on the edge of the box but couldn’t keep his shot down, after Flisher had seen his shot blocked by a massed York defence.

Understandably on a hot sunny afternoon, Maidstone seemed to tire after the hour mark and were dropping deeper, which allowed the York wingbacks the space they had previously been denied.  Connolly played in a dangerous cross from the right that floated over Driver’s head.  Fenwick’s heavy touch allowed a combination of Acheampong and Worgan to block the eventual shot, but the offside flag had already been raised.

Minstermen captain, Heslop, was able to drift into the Maidstone area before having a shot blocked by Acheampong as the Stones conceded territory.  From a second York corner, Kamdjo once again found space and buried his header into the top right corner for the York equaliser.

Following the goal, Jay Saunders went to his bench to make three changes over the next 10 minutes, but it was still York who looked the more proactive.  Scott Rooney charged forward down the right side and with defenders closing hit a low shot that Worgan had to tip round for a corner.  Worgan was then grateful for a kind bounce to gather a long shot from Heslop and Alex Whittle had a similar chance to Rooney, but his cross-shot skimmed past the right hand upright.

Despite this, Maidstone found the energy to close the game well, as Vas Karagiannis and Jack Paxman both made an impact with direct running.  The third substitute, Dumebi Dumaka, had a turn and shot that failed to trouble Flinders, but the keeper was called into action to turn a low Paxman shot round his left post after some intricate play had released the Stones’ midfielder.

Veteran striker, the prolific Richard Brodie, was introduced by York to try to take the points, and he forced Driver into a block having powered his way into the Maidstone area.  From the corner, Higgins headed the ball down and Worgan had to be alert to claim at Brodie’s feet.

The final chance of the game fell to Maidstone, and almost took all three points.  Tom Mills burst forward from left back to pick up a pass from Paxman, and Mills unleased a left foot piledriver that seemed to be arrowing into the top left, but Flinders reached high up to turn the shot behind.

MAIDSTONE UNITED: 1- Lee Worgan, 2- Callum Driver, 3- Tom Mills, 15- Anthony Acheampong, 5- Kevin Lokko, 6- James Rogers, 8- Dan Sweeney (10- Jack Paxman 74), 14- Tom Murphy (7- Vas Karagiannis 69), 16- Bobby-Joe Taylor, 17- Ben Greenhalgh, 11- Alex Flisher (20- Dumebi Dumaka 74).

Subs not used: 4- Jamie Coyle, 12- Jack Evans.

Goal: Bobby-Joe Taylor 22

Bookings: Alex Flisher 36, Callum Driver 78, Dumebi Dumaka 79

YORK CITY: 1- Scott Flinders, 14- Ben Clappinson, 5- Jack Higgins, 6- Matt Fry, 2- Shaun Rooney (15- Josh Robinson 89), 8- Simon Heslop, 4- Clovis Kamdjo, 10- Jan Klukowski (20- Kaine Felix 90), 3- Alex Whittle, 12- Aidan Connolly, 21- Scott Fenwick (9- Richard Brodie 84).

Subs not used: 13- Luke Simpson, 23- Matty Dixon.

Goal: Clovis Kamdjo 68

Booking: Jack Higgins 56

Attendance: 2,495

Referee: Mr David Rock
Assistants: Mr Paul Evans and Mr Sean Feerick
4th Official: Mr Chris O’Donnell

 

Pictures supplied by Ed Boyden Photos.